Odds and Ends
by Black Mary Janes
Summary: Her mother, her Chuck Taylors, her Uncle Ben, her voice, her Riley, her big mouth: the bits and pieces of her life that make her Carrie Chapman Catt Gates.
1. The Birth

**Hello readers!! _waves frantically_ Hokay, so, this is my first NT fic, and it's actually going to be a collection of vignettes following the life of an OC. dodges flying objects Yes, there are a lot of OCs out there, but I figure if you don't like them you wouldn't click on this story to begin with. So, anyway, I won't give too much away, because the plan is seriously for her whole life to be told one moment at a time. My only warning is that some of these may jump around a bit as I think of new things for her to experience. I will give Catt's age within the vignette somewhere, so just keep a heads up for it if you are lost.**

**Have fun!-Karina**

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Martha Washington Gates leaned against the counter of her home, staring blankly at her hands. She knew that she had to tell them the truth, but the irrational part of her brain told her that there was a second route around the problem. Maybe there was a few months ago, but that route disappeared with Cristian.

"Mattie, what was it you wanted to tell us?" Her father was sitting at the kitchen table, preparing a batch of fresh green beans for dinner. To his right sat her younger brother Ben, his 10th grade math homework spread over the end of the kitchen table, proving to be more of a challenge than he thought it would be. The seat to her father's left was empty, but she knew that her mother was filling it in spirit. Mattie had called her mother earlier that day to explain to her first. While Emily had been appalled at first, she quickly remembered her own experiences, and urged her daughter to explain to the rest of their small family as soon as she could. Well, here they were, and now the young woman was freezing up.

"Come on, Matt, it can't be that bad." Ben rolled his eyes.

"It's pretty bad." She said, taking a deep breathe. "I'm pregnant."

Ben's pencil made two clean 'clacks' on the floor before rolling away. Both of the Gates men had identical looks of shock written on their features as Mattie returned her gaze to her folded hands.

Of course, it shouldn't have been a complete shock. Patrick suspected something when Mattie opted to attend nearby American University rather than her first choice school, Yale. "I could live at home." She explained with a shrug, which made no sense to Patrick at the time, because she always insisted that she would move away. Now, only three weeks after that conversation, it was clear why she changed her mind.

"Like…with a baby?" Ben asked. He knew the answer to that question, but the shock was not allowing him to use the rather extraordinary brain he had inherited. His older sister, just recently a high school graduate, could not possibly be pregnant. Not his Mattie. She wouldn't leave the house to go get some milk without having at lest two back-up plans. How could this happen??

"Yes, with a baby, Ben." She rolled her eyes gently, the ghost of a smile crossing her lips.

"Well, this explains you going to American." Patrick mumbled, more to himself than anything else.

"Dad, I'm so sorry." Mattie said, sitting down in the empty seat. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I just…I wasn't prepared. I didn't expect things to go that way."

"Is Cristian the father?" Patrick asked. Mattie nodded. "Does he know?" She nodded again. "So now we know why he left." Mattie nodded again, tears starting to form in her eyes. Ben spotted this, and abandoned his homework. He began bustling around the kitchen making hot chocolate, as Mattie did for him countless times.

"Mattie, don't worry about it." Ben said over his shoulder as he found the tea kettle. "We can help you with the baby. Right, Dad?"

"If she wants to keep it, then yes, we will help." Patrick said, looking questioningly at his daughter.

"Of course I'm keeping it." Mattie said. "It isn't the baby's fault."

"Then we'll be here for you and the baby." Patrick said softly, handing her the tissue box.

"Thanks." Mattie said softly.

Six Months Later

"Ben!!" Patrick's voice was cutting through the still night air with a sharp note of panic.

"Five more minutes." Ben rolled over, trying to block out the light that flooded into his room from the hallway.

"Mattie doesn't have five more minutes." Patrick said. Been, suddenly very awake, sat straight up, checking the clock. Quarter past eleven. And his niece was on the way.

"Right." Ben said, getting up and pulling on the first clothes he saw. "Evacuation Plan B. Grab the suitcase. Unlock the car. Turn the car on. Turn the heat on." He repeated the important steps to himself as he performed them, eventually settling himself into the backseat of his father's car just moments before Mattie herself climbed in. Ben was expecting to see some more panic from her, but she just closed her eyes and settled back into her seat.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked his sister in hushed voice.

"I'm fine, Ben." Mattie reassured him, an amused smile on her lips. "And you can talk normally. I'm not on my death bed."

"Poor kid doesn't know what he's doing." Patrick said, putting the car in reverse.

"Well Dad, it's not like he has much experience with pregnant ladies." Mattie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah!" Ben piped up lamely. Mattie laughed.

Ten minutes later they pulled into the hospital. Ben began repeating steps again as he lugged in his sister's bag and followed them up to the third floor. There he was directed to the waiting room. It wasn't until four in the morning that Ben finally saw Patrick come out into the waiting room.

"She's all right." Patrick said, noticing that Ben had immediately opened his mouth to ask for an explanation.

"And the baby?" Ben asked.

"Why don't we go see them?" The father suggested. Ben nodded fervently and followed his father through a maze of hallways, finally stopping at a random wooden door. Ben looked at as though it were going to attack him. "It's all right, Ben." His father pushed him forward a bit, and he entered the room to see his sister propped up, look tired but well as she flipped through the hospital information.

"Hey, Uncle Ben." She smiled at him, then motioned to the plastic tub next to her. Ben crept towards it quietly, half expecting to see a lizard in there. Instead, he saw a tightly wrapped pink bundle, out of which poked a chubby little face topped by a head of dark, wild hair. Ben gasped in amazement, though he still wasn't sure why it was amazing. It just…was.

Still keeping an eye on the tiny newborn, he moved to the name card placed on the side of her makeshift crib. "Carrie Chapman Catt Gates. Born: January 9. Sex: female. Weight: 6lb 8oz. Length: 19 inches. Parents: Martha Washington Gates." Ben saw the blank line after his sister's name, and knew that the father's name was supposed to be there. But then again, the father was supposed to be in the room now too.

"So, what do you think, Ben?" Mattie asked.

"She's beautiful." Ben smiled.

Then and there, in that tiny hospital room, he made a promise to the small being in front of him. _That second line may be blank, but you will never alone because of it. _Ben thought, gently touching the sleeping infant's nose._I promise that I will always be there for you._


	2. The Funeral

**Hello Readers!! First off, I am terribly sorry about the horrible formatting on the first chapter. I am trying my best to fix it, but the site is not being terribly cooperative. Hopefully this chapter goes up without a hitch. Thank you reviewers for being so amazing!!**

**Love, Karina.**

* * *

The day was bright, sunny, with just a hint of a breeze. It was the perfect spring day, but for Ben, it was a cruel trick. Today was supposed to be a sad day, but the weather was not reflecting that. Even now, he saw a group of kids running and playing between the headstones, getting their suits and dresses green with grass stains. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he reached into the car and unbuckled the child seated there.

Catt did not run to join the other children. She watched them with wide, chocolate brown eyes for a moment, then silently reached up for Ben's hand. At age five, she was fully capable of talking. In fact, before the accident, the true problem had been shutting her up. But losing her mother had obviously changed the small girl.

Ben had tried to block out the memories of that night in the Rockies, but couldn't. It had happened so quickly. He was driving through, searching for a new Charlotte. Mattie was with him, naturally. They were heading towards California when they stopped at an intersection. Ben inched out, checking both ways, then started to go. Out of nowhere a couple of kids drag racing came up on Mattie's side, hitting her and killing her instantly. Even now, after explaining it to Catt several times, Ben refused to talk about it with anyone else. Instead, he spent as much time as possible with his niece, explaining what had happened and what would happen.

Catt followed her uncle towards the crowd of people. She couldn't remember ever going to a cemetery before, and she tried to absorb as much information about it as possible. As they reached the edges of the gathered people, Ben swooped down and picked her up, her eyes glancing over the masses. She snuggled closer into Ben's arms as the priest began to make his final remarks.

Ben couldn't listen. He has lost his sister. It was his fault. He should have been paying more attention to the road. He should have insisted that she stayed home with her daughter. He should have never told her of the treasure, and followed the tradition that Gates women were kept out of the dangerous matter. It was his fault entirely. And now, the little girl in his arms would be his responsibility. Technically, custody went to Patrick Gates, but Ben had not forgotten the promise he made. Catt had now lost both her parents, and if there was ever a time to feel alone in the world, it was now.

Soon, the priest was done, and the crowd began to disperse. Ben put Catt down, and she hesitantly approached the mahogany casket. Fearing she might slide into the grave, Ben followed her, keeping her within arms reach. She reached up and touched the side gently, then turned back towards her uncle.

"Ben, Mommy's not coming back, is she?" The little girl asked. Ben shook his head, afraid his voice would crack if he spoke. "She died, looking for the treasure." Ben nodded. "Grandpa said the treasure isn't real."

"It is real!" Ben's sudden outburst made Catt cover her ears, an action she always performed when scared. "I'm sorry, hon." She slowly lowered them, still watching her uncle. "The treasure is real. Charlotte is real." He grabbed the little girl, holding her tightly to him, trying to convince himself as much as her. "Your mom didn't die in vain. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Ever. Promise me, Catt."

"I promise." She whispered, knowing that something significant was happening. It wasn't a fact, like her uncle was already teaching her to pick out and store like a squirrel hording nuts. It was a feeling, a gut instinct, something that her uncle was just beginning to learn to trust.

"Ben!" Both turned towards the sound of Patrick's voice. "Get Catt and let's go!"

"We're coming!" The young man said. He turned back to his niece, who had suddenly grabbed his black suit sleeve. "Catt?"

"You need to promise me something." She said in a serious tone. "You need to promise to find the treasure. That's what Mom wanted." She paused, thinking. "That's what I want."

Ben studied his niece, then nodded. "I promise."

"Ben, let's go!" Patrick yelled.

"Come on, kid." Ben picked up his niece, cracking a smile. "Before your grandpa has a heart attack."

"Grandpa can't have a heart attack." Catt shook her head seriously. "The doctor decided to cut red meat out of his diet so he wouldn't."

"That's right." Ben laughed, the first genuine laugh he had since the accident. "In that case, let's get a cheeseburger on our way home."

"Yay!!" Catt cheered quietly, a true smile on her face.


	3. The Play

**Hi again!! I just wanted to thank all of my readers and reviewers again. You guys are really supportive and really keep me going. Thank you!! Also, I realized there isn't a disclaimer in this, and my paranoia started up. Sooo…… I don't own it. I don't even own the DVD, which is sad. I own Catt. That's it.**

* * *

"Catt Gates!" The bark from her teacher made Catt jump as she slid her cell phone back into her school bag.

"Yes, Mr. Kemper?" She asked, widening her eyes slightly.

"Did I see a cell phone?" The old man narrowed his eyes at the high school senior, inspecting for any sign of guilt.

"Not from me, sir." She shook her head gently, her dark hair falling into her face.

"I better not." He warned, concluding that she was guilt-free. He turned his back, and Catt grinned mischievously.

"Now, as we have discussed many times," Mr. Kemper continued. "The Supreme Court has a specific job. Who can tell me what that is??"

Catt knew the answer, but did not volunteer it. Instead, she pulled out her cell phone again and began texting furiously to her uncle.

_What do you mean Grandpa can't view a text??_

**Just what I said. Your grandfather is still text challenged. **

_Well then call him. _

**Why can't you??**

_I'm in class, Ben. Just promise you will be here tonight. _

**Yes, we will be there.**

Catt sighed in relief. Her small family had an excellent record of attendance so far as her plays went, and she was not about to let them start slacking her senior year.

"Now come on, class." Mr. Kemper nearly whined. "I know you know this. How long is the term of Supreme Court Justice??"

Catt shot her hand up. "Life long, sir." She shouted out.

"Thank you, Catt." He rolled his eyes. "But you spoke out of turn. Detention."

"But Mr. Kemper, I have-" Catt was cut off by the distinct sound of chalk on the board as he crossed a 'T'. "Actually, Sir, its two 'T's. And with a C." The students around her began to laugh as Mr. Kemper glared at her. "Or not." She muttered, sinking lower into her seat.

"Now class, let us continue with our discussion on the judicial branch-" The bell rang, signaling the end of classes "tomorrow."

Catt joined in the bustling of the students as they left their AP Government class. She stopped at her locker, giving the evil teacher time to send her name down to the office to be added to the detention list. Grabbing her Spanish book, she looked up as she heard her name being called over the PA.

"I know, I know!!" She yelled up at the speaker. Slamming her locker shut, she made her way down to the main office, passing her cast mates and explaining in as few words as possible her reasons for being late. She finally opened the door to the office and promptly ran full on into a rather solid something. The force knocked her and the other person down, scattering bags and supplies everywhere.

"Smooth, Catt." The school secretary, Mrs. Fox, said, looking down at the mess.

"I am so sorry." Catt mumbled, sitting up. She looked around and spotted her school bag, fully closed with the contents safe. The other person had not faired so well. A black messenger bag laid nearby, paperwork spilling out of it to reveal a very expensive laptop. Stacked neatly next to Mrs. Fox's desk were four hard black cases with a familiar company name stamped onto them. Catt put two and two together and concluded that she had knocked over the tech that was going to upgrade the entire school's computer system.

"It's fine." She heard male voice say. Turning towards that voice, she saw a guy not much older than herself, his dark hair a mess and his glasses slipping down his nose. He was dressed how you would expect an employee at one of the most successful computer businesses in the tri-state area to dress, with his khaki chinos, blue striped shirt, matching tie and navy blue sports jacket. Although as Catt looked down, she changed her mind, and decided that the battered Chuck Taylor's made the look much closer to a student being forced to dress up for church than successful computer nerd.

"No, really, it's my fault." Catt stood up, now quite sure she hadn't broken any bones. "Here, let me help you." She held out her hand, and the techie studied it. "It's a hand, not a torture device." She laughed.

"How can I be sure of that?" He asked in mock suspicion, accepting her hand and letting her pull him to his feet. "I don't know what you do in your spare time."

"Apparently she mouths off to teachers." Mrs. Fox cut in, checking the detention list on her computer. "Catt, that's not like you. Especially in a history class."

"He spelled my name wrong." She shrugged, unconcerned.

"A teacher spelled Catt wrong?" The techie asked.

"I bet you would too." Mrs. Fox said, rolling her eyes at the teenage girl. "It's not a normal spelling."

"It's very normal!" Catt insisted. "If he knew anything about history, he would have no problems spelling it."

"Wait, so now we have a history teacher that not only can't spell, but doesn't know about history?" The techie was trying to laugh. "No wonder you mouthed off to him. It sound like it would be too easy."

"You shouldn't take her side on this!" Mrs. Fox scolded him.

"At least not until you've tried to spell my name." Catt agreed. "Go on, spell Catt."

The techie thought for a moment, then answered. "Well, you said yourself that it's not spelled normally, so that rules out K-A-T and C-A-T. Then you also mentioned how he would have to know about history, which means you were named after someone. The only Catt I can think of is Carrie Chapman Catt, so I am going to guess C-A-T-T."

Catt's jaw dropped. He was the first person to guess right in the six years she had been playing that game.

"This guy's good." Mrs. Fox nodded, obviously impressed.

"You can say that again." Catt agreed, before shooting Mrs. Fox a glare. "Don't."

The secretary, who had already opened her mouth to repeat herself, closed it with a "Humph."

"So I got it right?" He asked. Catt nodded. "Wow, I'm awesome."

Catt giggled. "And so modest." She added.

"Eh, that comes and goes." He shrugged with a grin.

"So, Miss Gates, let's see what we can have you do during your half-hour." Mrs. Fox scanned the list of detention chores, looking for something suitable. "Well, since you two seem to get along so well, you can be Mr. Poole's student guide."

The techie winced. "Please, call me Riley."

"Sure thing, Techie." Catt said, stashing her school bag under Mrs. Fox's desk. As the secretary printed out two name tags, Catt snuck into her candy drawer and pulled out two lollipops. Mrs. Fox closed the drawer sharply as she handed Catt the name tags with a look of disapproval.

"Catt will show you around and help you with your things, Riley." Mrs. Fox explained as Catt put on her own name tag, trying not to blush at the bright red "DETENTION" splashed across the bottom.

"Here." She handed him the other name tag printed with his full name, the company name, and the word "GUEST". "Are those going with us?" She asked, motioning to the black boxes.

"One for every ten computers." He nodded, having difficulty with the sticky part of the name tag. "We don't have to do them all in one go. There are two labs, right?"

Catt nodded. "One in the library on the first floor and one in the media room on the second floor."

"Oh fun. Let's go upstairs first." He suggested, grabbing one of the black boxes. Catt grabbed the other, and together they headed towards the stairs.

"So what year are you?" Riley asked, breaking the slightly awkward sentence.

"Senior." Catt replied with a smirk.

"Nice." Riley grinned too. "I remember senior year. There's nothing like feeling in control of the whole school."

"You still are in control of the whole school, computer whiz." Catt pointed out. "You have the power to shut down the whole system and throw us back into the dark ages."

"Was that a hint?" He asked as they turned entered the room that housed the twenty computers in five perfect rows of four.

"Maybe." She grinned, setting down the case and pulling out her cell phone, which was vibrating. Flipping it open, she found a new text from Ben. **What time is your play again? **Rolling her eyes, she text back the time when doors open. No sense in having him arrive late.

"You kids and your modern technology." Riley muttered, glaring at the cell phone as he tinkered with the insides of the modem.

"Yeah, how dare we?" Catt muttered, raising an eyebrow as he hit a few keys and made a multitude of things happen at once.

"So who was it?" He asked. "You're boyfriend discussing prom tickets?"

Catt actually laughed out loud at that statement, an image of Ben in a tux taking her to prom flashing across her mind. "Not quite." She finally managed to choke out as Riley looked at her though she were nuts. "Just my uncle Ben wondering what time my show is tonight." Riley suddenly burst into peals of laughter at her words. "What is so funny about that?"

"I'm sorry." He tried to stop, but failed. "It's just…Uncle Ben?? Seriously??"

"Yeah…" She still failed to see the humor.

"Like Uncle Ben's Rice??" He asked.

Cat cracked up, now realizing why he was laughing. The image of the old black man on the orange packages flashed across her mind as she shook her head. "I never thought of that." She giggled. "But no. He definitely does not look like that Uncle Ben."

"I would hope not." He laughed one more time, then continued. "So you're in that play?" He motioned towards the poster taped to the media room door. Catt nodded. "Are you that weird blonde chick?" Catt nodded again. Riley gave her a funny look. "But you're not blonde."

"No, but I am fully capable of wearing a wig." She informed him.

"That's a musical, right? So you must be a good singer." Riley continued.

Catt nodded. "There are only a few things I'm really good at. Singing, dancing, and acting all kind of count as one, if you ask me. It all goes under performing. I remember facts well. But I'm not very good at using them. Like for riddles and stuff. Ben, he's always trying to get me to figure out riddles. I never can." She sighed, and Riley gave her a mildly concerned look.

"What was that heart-wrenching sigh for?" He asked.

"It was nothing." He raised an eyebrow in a skeptical manner, which she took as a hint that he wasn't buying. "All right, then. I just feel like sometimes he isn't proud of me for the things I do well, because he's too busy focusing on the things I don't well. My whole family is about solving puzzles and figuring out clues, and the fact that I can't figure out some of the simplest ciphers bothers them. I guess it bothers me too, but only because it bothers them, if that made any sense." Riley nodded, his eyes still on Catt. She shrugged. "I just wish they expressed that they were proud of me more."

"Everyone wishes that about their family." He explained. "I'm sure that eventually, your uncle is going to realize that you are really amazing. It's just going to take him some time. It always takes grown-up time to figure things like that out." Riley made a face as Catt giggled, and with that screwed on the side of the last modem. "Okay. We're all set here."

The two joked their way back to the office and repeated the routine in the library. Catt's half hour detention was long since up, but she didn't make her way down the auditorium right away. She helped Riley load his cases into the pale blue company car with the logo on the side.

"Well, I need to go get into costume and stuff." Catt checked her cell phone for the time. "The show goes up in three hours. You know you should come." She said, putting on a dazzling smile and her best used-car-salesman voice. "I mean, just because we're a high school doesn't mean we don't have the talent to pull off_ Evita_!!"

Riley took one look at her and laughed. "Yeah, okay kid. Bet that's your speech for when your friends tell you that musicals are lame."

Catt dropped the dazzling smile. "Okay, so maybe it's not Tony worthy or whatever," she agreed. "But it can't be that bad, can it?? And all the money raised goes to buying us a new light system. That's geeky, which means you'll love it."

"Hey!" Riley looked only slightly indignant at the rib against him. "I'm not promising anything. But…if I get out of work early enough, I might come."

"Cool." Catt said, checking her phone again. "Okay, now I really have to get into costume, before my cast kills me." She ran back towards the building, turning back to wave at Riley before disappearing into the building. Riley shook his head at the cheerful teen as he pulled out, wondering if he should actually keep to his word.

_oOoOoOoOo_

After three hours of dressing, putting on make-up, practicing dances, and trying to focus, the cast of Timothy Matlack High School's production of _Evita_ took their opening positions. Catt, her natural dark hair curled and prayed within an inch of her life, took a deep breath, and flipped open her cell phone (breaking several rules) to check her text messages one last time. Sure enough, three words popped up attached to Ben's name.

**Break a leg. **

Grinning broadly, she slipped her phone into the stage manager's desk and waited.

_oOoOoOoOo_

After several bows, the cast scuttled off-stage to clean themselves up well enough to go out and see their family. Catt pulled off the sticky wig and quickly wiped off some of the stage make-up. Shaking her natural hair out a bit, she didn't even bother to change out of costume before rushing at the house door.

"Great job, Catt!!" She heard called out by various people. She smiled in their general direction, but absorbed herself with looking for the father and son duo she knew was out there somewhere.

"CATT!!" Her smile grew as he uncle's familiar voice broke through the hub-bub. She turned and saw him standing in the center aisle, her grandfather slowly getting up from his seat. She rushed up to him and he pulled her into a fierce hug, surely ruining his jacket with her stage make-up. After a few moments, he held her at arms length, inspecting her as though he had never seen her before. "You were fantastic." He said. "We've never been prouder."

"We sure haven't" Her grandfather said, finally making his way into the aisle. He smile grew even wider as she hugged him, realizing how true their words were.

_oOoOoOoOo_

After nearly 45 minutes talking with the rest of the cast and crew and their families, Catt made her way backstage to change into her street clothes and go home. Pushing open the girl's dressing room, she saw it deserted except for the stage manager, Lacey.

"Great show, Lace." Catt said, slipping her jeans on under her dress.

"You too, Catt." Lacey was putting the costumes back in order for the shows the next day. She suddenly turned her blonde head towards the girl, realizing who it was. "Oh, by the way, some guy gave me this to give you." She reached over to the table and handed her a rumpled copy of the program. Furrowing her eyebrows, Catt flipped through it until she found what had been a blank page for autographs, but was now marred by some very messily written words.

_You were right: high school theater isn't that bad. I was right: You're uncle has every right to be proud. Promise to be my student guide for the spring upgrades??_

_--Riley (that weird techie who thinks your uncle sells rice)_

Catt cracked up reading the writing, and Lacey gave her a knowing look.

"Catt's got herself a boyfriend." She sang in a sickly sweet voice. Catt rolled her eyes and threw her dress at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lace." She said, running out to meet her family.


	4. The Voice

It was three o'clock on a bright, October day

**Hey everyone!! Thank you all for reviewing. I'm having a lot of fun writing these little mini-fics. Okay, so I need to uber-disclaim for this chapter. I don't own the song. It belongs to McFly. I don't own Romeo and Juliet. That's Shakespeare's. Subaru belongs to Subaru. And I don't own Celebrity Death Match. I don't even really watch it. I think it belongs to MTV. **

**Okay, that is done with. Now to the reading!!**

It was three o'clock on a bright, October day. It promised to be one of the last nice days before winter, with the sun burning brightly and the hint of cold in the breeze. School had been released, and the students were milling around the campus, making plans for the weekend. All except the freshman class, that is. They were all cramming in last minute preparation for what promised to be the first major grade for their first quarter of high school.

Their English teacher, Ms. Prince, had decided to wrap up their _Romeo and Juliet_ unit with the mother of all projects. Her students were to get into groups of no more than five and reinterpret their assigned scene from the play. They were being scored on their creativity as well as their accuracy, which made a simple PowerPoint out of the question. Each group was trying to out do the others, which meant that every moment with their groups was essential. It explained the lack of freshmen outside enjoying the weather, as well as the general air of frustration within the building.

"Come on guys, you can do this." Lacey Anderson said, putting down her marker. She had been hard at work on one of their posters, but gave up when she looked up to see the rest of her group mates just staring at each other. "It's one song. You've written tons of songs before. One more shouldn't kill you."

"Oh, but it is." Matt York shook his head, flipping his drum sticks in the air. "Tim Rice over there has lost the magic touch."

"Shut up." Catt Gates snapped, hating that they called her by a boy's name, even if Tim Rice was amazing. She was sprawled across the floor of the music room, her head down in the rough carpet. Luckily she didn't suffer from allergies, as the dust would have made most people sneeze and cry. Her eyes closed, she tried to come up with words, but nothing came to mind.

"And we thought we had it easy getting the balcony scene." Jamison Bentley shook his head.

"Obviously not." Catt, Lacey, and Greta Fuller said together. Greta's hands hit the piano keys in a cacophony of noise as she sighed.

"This isn't working." She announced. "Let's just all start messing around and see what happens." Nodding, everyone agreed. Catt pulled her leather bound notebook closer to her, grabbing her pen and writing the first thing that came to mind. Stream of conscience was never her forte, so she started and stopped several times before reaching the end of the paper. Looking back, she picked out a few words that made her think of the balcony scene. Now that she had a few key words, she flipped to a clean page and took turns listening to what each of her band mates were playing.

"Wait…Jamison. Play that again." She shuffled over to him, and he looked over his guitar at her curiously. "You know, that last little bit." She motioned slightly impatient. By then the rest of the noise had ceased. He did, and she nodded along to the riff.

"I like it." Matt piped up. Carefully, he began picking up a drumbeat, filling in some spots. Catt started humming a melody, scanning her key words again. Quickly, she began scribbling.

"I think I have a verse." She said.

"Sing it!" Lacey demanded, watching Matt and looking for a bass line.

"I never doubted you at all  
The stars collide, will you stand by and watch them fall?  
So hold me 'til the sky is clear  
And whisper words of love right into my ear"

"Oooh, that's pretty." Greta said, ditching the piano and grabbing the extra guitar. "I like the references to star-crossed lovers."

"Prince will like them too." Lacey grinned. "Come on, we need more!!"

Now that they had hit their stride, the group only remained trapped in the music room for another hour to finish and polish their project. The posters were colored, the song was sounding good, and they had all decided on costumes.

Finally, just as parents began showing up to pick up their kids after work, the group left the stuffy halls and found themselves in the slowly sinking rays of the brilliant sun.

"Okay, so remember to get here early." Lacey reprimanded the two boys, who nodded tersely. "We have to make sure everything is perfect before fourth period."

"Then after we can celebrate with lunch." Catt promised.

The group said their goodbyes as parents came to pick them up. Finally it was Catt and Greta, sitting on the lawn and snuggling into their sweatshirts as the temperature dropped lower.

"Are you nervous?" Greta asked, glancing over at her friend. Catt was playing with her chestnut hair, the ends grazing her shoulders. Her dark eyes were gazing at the grass thoughtfully, her lips pursed.

"Yeah." Catt finally admitted. "I haven't actually sung an original song in front of anyone before. And I mean, our class?? They're beasts. They will tear it apart if they don't like it." She shrugged, although there was more to it than she would admit. "It's just a little worrying."

"You shouldn't worry." Greta assured her. "It's a class project. No one is expecting it to be good. And trust me, this song is great."

"Yeah, it is." Catt smirked. "We did pretty good." She looked up at the dark blue Subaru pulling into the parking lot. "I gotta go Greta." She jumped up, grabbing her school bag. "But thanks."

"No problem." The blond smiled at the brunette. Catt returned the gesture before jumping into her grandfather's car.

"So, how was school hon?" Patrick asked as the pulled into traffic.

"Not bad." Catt shrugged. "We've got a performance project due tomorrow." Patrick spared her a quick glance, and she continued. "I'm just nervous. I have to sing."

"You should do wonderfully." He said.

"I'm just…worrying over nothing." Catt shook her head. "It's just my classmates. I just have to get over it."

"You have sung in front of people before, Catt." Patrick reminded her.

"I know. But I wrote this song." Catt admitted. This was a bit of a surprise to Patrick, who hadn't know that all the scribbling his granddaughter did in those notebooks was actual work. "I wrote the lyrics, and if they hate it, then they will blame me."

"I wouldn't worry too much." Patrick reassured her. "It's just a class project. You worked hard on it, and it fits the criteria, right?" Catt nodded. "Then you did your best. It certainly won't be the worst one there."

"You're right." Catt smiled. "It is just a stupid project. If it's bad, no one will remember it in a week, and if it's good, then we go down in Matlack High School history as the first group to truly impress Ms. Prince."

"That's my girl." Patrick smiled.

_oOoOoOoOo_

Catt had to remind herself all day that it was just a stupid project. She had never been more nervous in all her fourteen years, and it certainly wasn't helping that Lacey was getting all control freak on them.

"Matt, straighten your tie!" She snapped, spraying her hair with enough hairspray to kill an elephant.

"It's not supposed to be straight." Matt rolled his eyes. "We're supposed to be rock stars, remember?? And these sleeves are going to get in the way of my drumming."

"Suck it up." Lacey snapped. She turned to inspect her group mates before barking a final order to move out. Catt was more than happy to leave the death cloud of hairspray behind in the dressing room as they trooped to the front row of seats in the auditorium where the rest of their period four English class was waiting.

"And now, class, it is time to begin our performance!" Ms. Prince said once they had settled into their seats.

After two skits, one of which made Mercutio's death into an episode of Celebrity Death Match, it was Catt and her group's turn. They opened the curtain that had been hiding their instruments and got set, Catt helping Matt with his drum kit. Lacey placed the posters advertising their fake band The Capulets' new album _A Balcony in the Garden_, for sale at Shakespeare's Records. She also held up a sign that said "Applause and wild screaming" The audience reacted properly, and Catt grinned. So far, they were supported.

"Thank you!" Lacey said into the mic. "We're The Capulets, and we just want to thank you for coming out to see us tonight. So we've got one last song for you, and it's our interpretation of a famous scene on a certain balcony." Once again, she held up the sign and the screaming came. She stepped back from the mic and whispered in Catt's ear. "It's all yours."

Catt grinned and nodded, stepping up to the mic. She took a deep breath, and tried to relax. _It's just a stupid project_. She told herself. And as soon as she heard Jamison start his guitar riff, she relaxed.

"The world would be a lonely place  
Without the one that puts a smile on your face  
So hold me 'til the sun burns out  
I won't be lonely when I'm down

'Cause I've got you to make me feel stronger  
When the days are rough and an hour feels much longer

I never doubted you at all  
The stars collide, will you stand by and watch them fall?  
So hold me 'til the sky is clear  
And whisper words of love right into my ear

'Cause I've got you to make me feel stronger  
When the days are rough and an hour feels much longer  
Yeah when I got you  
Oh to make me feel better  
When the nights are long they'll be easier together

Looking in your eyes  
Hoping they won't cry  
And even if they do  
I'll be in bed so close to you  
Hold you through the night  
And you'll be unaware  
But if you need me I'll be there

Yeah I got you  
Oh to make me feel stronger  
When the days are rough and an hour feels much longer  
Yeah when I got you to make me feel better  
When the nights are long they'll be easier together"

This time, they didn't need Lacey to hold up the cue card. Catt, bursting with pride, blushed as her classmates cheered. They liked it. That meant they liked her. She glanced over at Greta, only to see her friend racing towards her. Suddenly she found herself in a group hug.

"Girl, you've got a voice!" Lacey yelled. And Catt finally believed her.


	5. The Team

**Hi everyone!! So I noticed some confusion from the last chapter, so let me reiterate: These little fics jump around in time. So yes, I know that in three Catt was senior, and in four she was a freshman. That was intentional. Now that it's Chapter Five, she's a senior again. My reasoning is that three and five are kind of two parts of one whole, but putting them side by side felt weird, so I separated them with a flashback of sorts. That's likely to continue happening, so just keep an eye open for an age. **

**Disclaiming…: I don't own Ben, Patrick, or Riley. The random OCs and Catt are totally mine. I don't own Subaru. I don't own Logitech, either. I seriously thought that was a made-up name until I saw the computer mouse at work. I don't own High School Musical or the song Catt "writes" in this Chapter. Song belongs to the Hush Sound. Check them out, they are amazing. I don't own Starbucks. I wish I did, then I would have coffee AAALLLLL the time.**

* * *

Catt Gates had never tried to get in trouble before. Usually the trouble found her. She also never assumed she would be saying it was hard to get in trouble.

"The one day I want detention is the one day I can't manage to get a detention." She whined, tossing her lunch box onto the cafeteria table.

"You're a second semester senior." Lacey reminded her. "Teachers don't give detentions to the kids they are about to get rid of." She poked at her pasta salad for a moment, then looked up again. "Wait, you want a detention??"

"I'm trying to break all the rules I didn't already break before graduation." Catt explained. While it was true that it was a goal of hers, the real reason was not something Lacey would understand. Today was the spring upgrades from Logitech, which meant that Riley the techie would be back. And now, Catt had a mission. She was going to start a bromance between her uncle and the young computer geek.

Ben had spent weeks searching for a new member of his team, one that was good with computers. Catt read the requirements list, and realized that Ben wasn't looking for just 'good'. He needed someone who could make a computer do anything and everything with a few quick commands. And while Catt was no expert, she suspected that the only computer geek she knew had much more talent than his position at Logitech implied.

"So that's why you dropped your school laptop this morning." Lacey nodded.

"And refused to wear your goggles in chem." Her friend Brian added.

"And skipped the first half of Calculus, then came back just to announce you had skipped." Emily piped up.

"Someone had a busy morning." Lacey snickered.

"I've gotten a grand total of 28 warnings." Catt announced. "But not a single detention."

"Well, here's your chance." Emily warned. "Grant at three o'clock."

Catt turned and saw her least favorite teacher, Mrs. Grant, walking through the rows of tables. Mrs. Grant was well known for her strict adherence to the school dress code, which conveniently included a clause about bra straps.

"Perfect." Catt muttered, whipping off her black cardigan and loosening the right strap of her hot pink bra. Letting the strap slide down her arm and past the sleeve of her shirt, she returned to the conversation at her lunch table, talking just a hair louder than the others.

Mrs. Grant's eyes grew large as beach balls as she narrowed in on the flash of pink.

"Catt Gates!" She bellowed, making everyone in the ten foot radius jump. Catt, though, just looked over her right shoulder with an innocent expression.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Grant." She smiled sweetly.

"What is that?" The old woman asked, using the eraser end of her pencil to lift up the fugitive strap.

"Whoops." Catt giggled like an idiot, playing up the act. "It must have slipped."

"You know we have a strict policy regarding underclothes." She narrowed her eyes, then whipped out a pink pad of paper. "Just how many warnings have you had today?"

"28." Catt answered promptly.

"That's 28 too many." Mrs. Grant was not a fan of the warning. Scribbling down Catt's name, she hissed. "You will be spending this afternoon in detention." She turned away, already scouting out her next victim.

"Thank you." Catt murmured, turning back to the table.

"You are so weird." Lacey rolled her eyes.

"Weird and freezing!" Catt quickly fixed her strap and yanked her sweater back on. "Why must they pump the AC??"

_oOoOoOoOo_

Catt practically skipped down to the main office, humming her solo for the spring musical in her head.

"I thought you felt it too. When there was me and you." She sang softly as she walked into the office.

"Save it for Friday, sweetheart." Mrs. Fox scolded gently. "Catt, I can't believe you managed to get a detention fourth quarter of senior year. I didn't think even you could do that without bringing crack on campus."

"All it took was a strategically placed bra strap." Catt announced with a note of pride just as Riley entered the room.

"Um…should I just pretend I didn't hear that?" He asked awkwardly.

"Riley!" Catt turned, her face a mixture of horror and happiness.

"Yes, you should." Mrs. Fox said with a look that clearly put Riley in his place. Nodding, Riley set down the black cases. Catt noticed that he seemed to be wearing the same pants and jacket as last time, and she wondered if he just didn't have a lot of clothes in general, or if most of his clothing was not work appropriate.

"Can I just have my detention assignment please?" Catt asked.

"I don't know why you bother asking me for it!" Mrs. Fox pretended to be exasperated. "You already know what I'm going to tell you."

"Well then, we will need our name tags and candy." Catt insisted. Mrs. Fox raised an eyebrow, and Catt furrowed hers. "Or I'll start singing."

"Oh no you don't." Mrs. Fox quickly printed off the name tags, and even dug into her candy drawer and shoved a whole handful of Starbursts at her. "Now go before I have to tape your mouth shut."

"Thank you!!" Catt called out as she grabbed one of the black cases. Pushing Riley out of the office, she let the door slam behind her.

"Why doesn't she want you to sing?" Riley asked, looking more confused than ever. "You've got a great voice."

"She doesn't want me to strain it before the show on Friday." Catt beamed. "And thank you."

"What musical is it this time?" Riley asked, looking around for a poster. He spotted a couple, but didn't believe them. Finally Catt coughed and pointed as they passed one. "Okay, so you guys go from Andrew Lloyd Webber to High School Musical??" He looked utter bewildered. "Why?"

"It was company vote." Catt shrugged. "After months of the 1930's in Argentina, they wanted modern in the US."

"So let me guess." He looked Catt up and down, even motioning for her turn. She did, rolling her eyes. "So you're…Gabriella."

"How'd you know?" She asked slightly surprised.

"Well, no offence, but they wouldn't dare put you in a blond wig again. It just wasn't your color. Second off, you've traded your Chucks for a pair of heels, something I wouldn't expect of anyone other than a girl who needs to learn how to walk in heels. And you've let your hair grow out since I last saw you, which means you're trying to emulate the girl who played her in the movie." He pursed his lips, trying to find something else. "And I don't think you could be quite bitchy enough for the evil blonde one."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or not." Catt shook her head, pushing open the library lab door.

"Me neither." He shrugged. "So, how is it that you always get the leads?"

"I'm a senior." Catt shrugged. "I rule the school."

"Simple enough." Riley settled down to work, and Catt took the opportunity to text her uncle.

_You busy?_

**No. Why? You stuck at school?**

_I found you a techie. He's here now._

**Really? How is he? He's not one of your annoying friends, right?**

Catt looked over at Riley. Well, he was kind of annoying, and he was kind of her friend. But Ben didn't have to know that.

_He's legit. He works for the company that does all the school technology. He's here doing upgrades, and he's lightning. He's done the whole library lab in five minutes we've been texting. I think he's good, but I don't know how to test him._

**Have him hack into the system to look at your school records. Time him. **

Of course Ben would time him. Ben wanted someone fast at getting in and even faster at getting out if they were caught. Catt slipped her phone on the table, quickly finding the stopwatch feature. Hitting the time button once, the numbers started to whirl, and she began step one.

"Oh crap!" She suddenly exclaimed, as if some thought had just occurred to her.

"What?" Riley looked up from the PC he was fiddling with, mildly concerned.

"I forgot to head to guidance today." She moaned, checking the clock on the wall. "And they have definitely gone home already."

"Why'd you have to go there?" Riley asked. Catt was pleased with how good an audience he was.

"I need a copy of transcript." She quickly lied. "My college lost mine, and when I send in my financial aid packet I promised to send in my transcript, but I have to send that stupid thing tonight or I go over deadline."

"You just need a copy of your transcript?" He asked, his hand drifting towards his messenger bag.

"Yeah. But I'm supposed to get those through guidance. No one else in the school can get me one, and if they've already locked down their computers for the night, then I would need a hacker."

"You know, I might be able to help." He said, and in a flash he had his laptop out and running.

"Are you sure?" Catt kept the innocent act up, hitting the timer button again. The first time was logged, but the numbers continued to whirl.

"It's no problem." He grinned. "It's not like you're trying to steal a national monument or anything. You've got a right to your own records."

"Well, when you put it like that…" Catt trailed off, leaning over to look at his laptop screen. "Why don't you use one of the school computers?"

"Too easy to trace." He said, the clack of the keys never slowing. "And anyway, I have some things on here that aren't on the school computers. We can't be giving you kids dangerous equipment, now can we?" Catt watched as numbers and letters whirled across the screen. She decided it was making her dizzy, and moved away from the screen "You failed health?" He asked suddenly.

"We don't talk about that." Catt protested.

"Oh, sorry for opening old wounds." He muttered. He motioned to the printer that had just spit out a single sheet of paper. "You're welcome."

"That took you less than a minute!" She exclaimed, looking down at the stopwatch. "It took longer to convince you to do it than it took you to actually do it!"

"Why were you timing me?" He asked, throwing her an odd look. She shrugged, avoiding his gaze. She quickly texted Ben.

_This boy's a genius. It took me a full minute to convince him and 40 seconds for him to actually do it. _

**Where are you guys?**

She noticed Riley was packing up, and quickly answered; _Don't even think of pouncing on him now! Let the poor kid get back to work before you bombard him. _

**It's going to have to be that long. Your grandfather is driving me up a wall. **

Catt giggled to herself, sure that Grandpa was being as annoying as he possibly could. It was a game they played, trying to see who could annoy Ben the most.

"What's so funny?" Riley asked, stooping to pick up the empty black box.

Catt followed, shaking her head. "Nothing."

He sent her a look that made clear he didn't believe her, but she chose to ignore him. They wandered through the halls, chatting aimlessly, Catt checking her phone every now and then. Finally, after she had helped Riley put everything into the same blue company car, she wandered casually back to the main building, texting furiously.

_He's on his way. Operation Techie is now a go. I repeat, a go. Remember to stop by and pick me up. Grandpa's Subaru is still in the shop. _

**Okay, Catt, what have I said about watching those old spy movies?**

_Just shut up and come get me._

Catt was changing shoes when Ben pulled up in his sleek black SUV. And _he_ lectured _her _on watching too many spy movies. Stuffing her heels in her bag (her feet were sighing contentedly in their Chuck Taylor's), she ran forward and jumped into the passenger seat.

"About time." She huffed, rolling her eyes and fastening her seat belt.

"You're telling me." Ben grumbled, his hand rubbing his forehead. "You're grandfather is on a roll today."

"Is it about the treasure still?" She asked, pushing her dark hair from her face. Tensions had been thick for weeks between Ben and Patrick, and it always revolved around the same subject.

"Of course it is." Ben shook his head, emotionally exhausted. "He thinks I'm being irresponsible around you. He doesn't want you involved."

"You won't let me get involved either." She butt in immediately.

"You're right." He spared her a sharp look as he navigated through the downtown traffic. "I won't let you. But you're grandfather has a different idea of what "involved" is."

"I'm not doing anything!" Catt growled in frustration. "I know the clue. "The secret lies with Charlotte." I don't know anything beyond that. I'm not allowed to do any research. I'm not allowed to go with you when you trek across the eastern seaboard looking for the answer. I'm not involved anymore than Horton is!!"

"Your cat is in no way comparable to you." Ben rolled his eyes at her exaggeration. "Your cat barely knows English."

"She does too!" Catt argued. "I talk to her all the time. She still is mad at you for naming her after a boy elephant!"

"She is an elephant." Ben argued. "20 pounds is hefty for a cat. There are dogs that weigh less than that."

"She is not hefty. She's pleasantly plump." Catt sulked. "And anyway, those dogs don't even count. They're more like rats that bark."

Ben grinned to himself, pleased to see that he had distracted his niece from her original argument. It was one he had been having with her since she was a kid, and after the fight he just had with his own father, he did not want the other part of his family to hate him.

"I think someone is just in denial." He said casually, causing Catt to scowl even more. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her reach into her backpack and pull out a leather-bound notebook, clearly stolen from his stash. He didn't mind though, and even chuckled to himself as she began scribbling furiously.

"I've had this little bit stuck in my head all day, and every time I went to write it down something pulled me from it." She said, sensing that he was going to ask. "It's not the whole thing, though. There's more. I just don't have it yet." This was how Catt wrote songs. She had enough friends with musical talent that they had started a band, and Catt was the primary songwriter. She was always scribbling into those notebooks, and Ben encouraged it most when he needed to distract her.

"What have you got so far?" He asked.

"Not much." She frowned slightly. "It's not done. I can't place what made me think of it, though." Her frown deepened. "It's about someone. I just don't know who."

"Sing it." Ben said, and Catt obliged.

"You are broken and callow  
Cautious and safe  
You are a boundless and beauty  
With fright in your face  
Until someone loves you,  
I'll keep you safe  
But like them, I will give you away

And when you're gone, will they say your name?  
And when you're gone, will they love you the same?  
If not, that's okay."

It soft and sad, which wasn't terribly uncommon for Catt. As usual, Ben wondered where she got her voice from. No one else in the Gates family could sing. Karaoke was always a nightmare during family reunions. At least, until Catt got up there.

"Cheerful." He finally said when he realized she was staring at him expectantly. She scoffed, and he continued. "Well, it's sad, but it's really good. Have you shown it to the rest of them yet?"

Catt shook her head. "I just wrote it down, silly." She scolded softly. "But Greta was messing around today during free period, and that's what gave me most of the tune."

"It's pretty." He said, pulling into the parking lot of a large, modern building. "You coming in?"

Catt shook her head. "Homework." She pulled her laptop out of her bag and turned on the radio. "Good luck chief."

"Yeah, whatever." Ben left the car running, sure it would only take a few minutes to convince the tech to join the team he was beginning to assembly for a project he suspect might take them to the Arctic. So far all he had was a financier and a couple of crazy thugs. But still, people would trust technology much more than they would trust the ranting of a man who managed to ruin his reputation before really even establishing one.

Catt, meanwhile, suspected that her uncle would not have such an easy time of convincing someone to join his team, even someone like Riley. She waited until he had gotten into the building before hopping in the driver's seat. Making sure her wallet with her driver's license was in the cup holder, she put the car in drive and made her way to the closest Starbucks.

Inside, she perused the menu, taking some time to think through her choices. She knew what Ben would want instantly: large coffee, with two creams and one sugar. She had her choice down between a mocha frappuchino and vanilla chai when she put it aside, figuring that whichever one popped out of her mouth first would be okay. Next was the real challenge: Riley. He didn't seem much like a straight coffee guy, so she skipped right over to the specialty drinks. Sugar, she could tell, was more his speed, but she also suspected that fruit was a little too much. Finally, her eyes lit upon the newest addition, the honey frappuchino. Perfect. Catt placed her order, deciding on the mocha frappuchino, and sat down on one of the big cushy couches to watch the staff bustle around and make the drinks.

Twenty minutes and half of her drink later, Catt saw two figures make their way out of the building. She saw Ben look around for the car, and hoped he would blame his inability to find it on his old age, and not on the fact that it had actually moved. The coffees would give it away, of course, but Catt was banking on her uncle being too delighted with his tasty beverage to even ask where it came from. Pulling the headphones from her ears, she unlocked the car, putting on her best innocent face.

"So how'd it go?" She asked, sliding her laptop back into her school bag.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Riley piped up as he climbed into the backseat. "And why didn't you tell me you were grooming me?"

Catt shrugged. "You didn't need to know." She threw her uncle a look, who just shrugged.

"Riley takes the train into work." He explained.

"So why doesn't he take it home?" She knew the answer, but chose to ignore that fact.

"Because he's not going home." Ben answered impatiently. "He's coming over to see some of the research. You know this."

"Yes, I do." Catt admitted, handing him his coffee. As expected, he was too grateful at the sight of it to ask where it had appeared from. "I had to guess for you." She said, twisting in her seat and handing Riley the half-melted beverage. "I tried to keep it cold, but it didn't quite work."

"Oh…thank you." He said, looking at her curiously. "You know, you didn't have to-"

"Yes, she did." Ben said, putting the car in reverse and pulling out. "Catt fancies herself my secretary of sorts."

"It's all I can do, since you won't let me near anything important." She snapped lightly. "And don't worry about it, Riley. I just hope you like it."

Riley couldn't answer, as he was sucking intensely on the straw. He held up a hand, and Catt raised an eyebrow, watching him suck down half of the drink in one gulp. Finally, gasping for air, he announced "This is amazing. Seriously. It's honey colored heaven on earth."

Catt shot him an odd look, but laughed. "Welcome to the team." She said.


	6. The Museum

**Hey everyone!! So this is actually the first fic I wrote for this series, so it's been kicking around for a while now, just waiting for the right time to be uploaded. I think now is a pretty good time. Also, please please please review!! Reviews are like oxygen to me. Well, perhaps not oxygen. Like water. I drink a lot of water. I need it. I freaked out today in math because I had the wrong water bottle. It was the super old one, and I hated it. Anyway...REVIEW!! Thank you. Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben, Abigail, Riley, Starbucks, Wikipedia, ITunes, or **_**Transformers**_**.**

* * *

Catt rolled over, the early morning sunlight filling her small bedroom. She heard a familiar song coming from the kitchen, recognizing the tune as her cell phone. Stumbling around the small apartment she shared with three of her friends, she finally found her purse, rummaged around, and found her phone. She checked the name. Of course it was Ben. Everyone else she knew had the common sense not to call her until noon.

"What?" She asked miserably.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." A voice that was not her uncle's came over the speaker.

"Riley?" She asked, flopping onto the couch. "Why are you Ben and why so early?"

"Ben's driving right now to come pick you up." He explained. "And we're leaving early because Ben wants to torture us." There was some mumbling on Riley's side of the conversation, and he corrected himself. "Actually, the museum in Cairo wants to torture us. Ben knows better than to wake up you or me before noon."

"Cairo?" She asked. Then it hit her. "Oh shit." She hissed.

"I see someone forgot." Riley quipped.

"She forgot?!" Cat could hear Ben's outburst quite clearly. "How could she forget? I've been reminding her all week!!"

"Tell him I'll be ready." Catt said, glad she had packed her suitcase beforehand.

"Okay chief." Riley said. "And don't take your usual hour to get ready. We're already getting off the highway."

"Okay." Catt nodded to herself, running straight into the bathroom. "I'll see you in, like, fifteen minutes." She hung up, taking one moment to growl in frustration before jumping into the shower.

_oOoOoOoOo_

Twelve minutes later Ben pulled up in front of Catt's apartment building. "Where is she?" He mumbled.

"Relax, she's got three minutes." Riley said, checking the time on Ben's phone. "You know, we wouldn't be stuck out here waiting if you had followed my advice and gone into Starbucks for her."

"I am not getting Catt Starbucks." Ben sighed for the tenth time. "The last thing she needs is caffeine." Riley pouted slightly. "The same goes for you."

"I have to agree with Riley on this one." Abigail piped up from the passenger's seat. "It would have been a nice gesture. I'm sure she heard your outburst on the phone this morning."

"She's big girl, she knows I was just stressed." Ben was reassuring her as well as himself. He returned his gaze to the door, tapping his foot.

"She's got thirty seconds." Riley said, having switched to the stopwatch feature. Just as he said it, the door opened, and Catt appeared, her dark hair still wet. Ben popped the trunk and Riley jumped out to help her with her suitcase.

"Is he mad?" She asked softly as they lifted the case into the trunk.

"More at me than at you." Riley muttered. They straightened up, and Catt gave him a quizzical look. "I tried to be extra annoying. I figured you could use a break."

"Thanks Riley." She smiled gently, pulling her purse out of the trunk. Together they slammed it shut and piled into the backseat.

"Good morning, Catt." Abigail smiled at her from the sun visor mirror.

"Hey Abigail." Catt returned the gesture, trying to shake her hair out without spraying everyone with water. She finally gave up, succeeding only in getting her face wet. "Good morning, Ben." She said cautiously.

"Good morning, Catt." He said, concentrating on going as fast as he could without breaking the speed limit. Eventually he gave up, and ventured up towards 80 mph. There was a heavy silence in the car, and finally Riley couldn't take it anymore.

"So." He said with a small grin. "Who's up for some Starbucks?"

_oOoOoOoOo_

Catt allowed herself a satisfied smile as she sunk into one of the plush seats on the luxury aircraft. "This is definitely something I could get used to." She murmured.

"I wouldn't." Riley said, sinking into the seat next to her. "Ben had to settle on one percent."

"You're still hung up on that finder's fee." Catt laughed.

"Of course I am." Riley said. "Ben picked it." He snuggled down into his seat a bit more. "You know, I kind of wish you could have been there when we found it."

"Same here." Catt grumbled. While she was bursting with pride that the treasure had been found at all, she still wished she had actually been there. She had four different accounts, and other than Riley's version (which included little more for details than Ben Franklin, aliens, bluish-green men, and stairs), she felt each had tried to give her a clear picture.

"Ben might have died of a heart attack, though." Riley reasoned. "I mean, there was a lot of being held at gun point. And falling. And being chased."

"I'm 21." Catt argued. "I could have handled myself."

"I dunno." Riley shrugged, turning his gaze to her. "I'm sure you could have, but Ben might not have been able to." Catt looked puzzled, and he just shrugged again. "Just saying."

"Well, he's not really on my list of favorite people right now." Catt admitted, stealing a glance back to where Ben and Abigail were conversing in low voices.

"Is someone jealous??" Riley asked.

"No…not really." Catt shrugged. Riley's blue eyes clearly indicated that she was to continue, and she sighed. "I just…think he's forgetting about someone here."

"Who?" Riley asked, before remembering something Ben had said. "Oh, wait…your mom." It wasn't a question, but a statement. At first, no one explained to Riley why Catt's mom was never around. Then, after mentioning the name Mattie a couple of time, Riley asked Ben who he was talking about, and Ben explained everything.

"I don't really remember her. I was five when she died. Ben and Grandpa raised me." Catt sighed. "But after what happened with Mom, Ben decided to keep to the old Gates tradition."

"And which of the many would that be??" Riley quickly found the hidden refrigerator and pulled out bottled water for Catt and himself.

"Gates women do not take part in the treasure hunt." Catt recited glumly. "They stay home where it is far less dangerous."

"Whoa." Riley's eyes widened slightly in shock. "I thought Ben was all for equal rights between the sexes."

"He is." Catt nodded. "That's why he told my mom about the treasure in the first place. Because he knew it should be something they both knew about and could pursue. He rethought that after her death."

"I can understand that." Riley muttered. Catt gave him a look. "Seriously. I know you don't want to hear this, but he was trying to protect you. And it was really dangerous."

"But he let you do it!" Catt hissed. "And you're his best friend! More than that. He feels just as responsibly for you as he does for me."

"It's still different, Catt." Riley argued back. "I signed up for that. Well, maybe not exactly, but after the incident in the Arctic, I knew there would be more to come. But you didn't ask for any of this. The only reason anyone has to connect you to it is your family, and that's not how it should be. You were just born into the wrong family."

"That's not true!" Catt's voice was growing louder. "I'm just as much a Gates as Ben! Just because my mother is dead doesn't mean she never existed!"

"Catt, that's not what I meant!" Riley moved to the edge of his seat, his knees brushing Catt's as he took her hands in his own. "No one thinks that you're in the wrong family or whatever."

"Riley, everyone thinks that." Catt's voice was going back down, which he took as a good sign. The note of misery in her voice and the welling of tears in her eyes were not good signs, though. "I'm no good at puzzles, I don't care about history. I don't even really look like any of them." She shook her head. "The only thing I have in common with the rest of my family is my name."

"Catt, you know that's not true." He sighed. "Look, Catt…I'm no good at this kind of stuff, but…you know what I'm going to say. You are a Gates. You may not look exactly like them, and you may not have the same crazy passions as them, but that doesn't mean you're an outcast. And anyway, you're one of the coolest people I know. Mostly because you don't take into all of that crazy history stuff. I don't have to have Wikipedia handy to have a conversation with you. So don't think because you're not like Ben that you aren't related to him. Okay?" He asked, his piercing blue eyes never leaving her chocolate brown ones.

Slowly, she nodded. "Thanks Riley." She said, brushing away tears that never quite fell. Riley motioned her towards him, and she sat down next to him in the wide seat, falling into his arms almost too perfectly. He hugged her for a few moments, not sure why he had said all the things he did. Finally reaching the conclusion that she had needed to hear them, he released her, and grinned.

"So, how should we annoy Ben and Abigail on this trip?" He asked mischievously.

Catt thought for a moment, then glanced behind her to where her uncle and his new sweetheart were starting to get cuddly. "We can watch and giggle loudly and insanely every time they get within inches of each other." She suggested innocently.

Riley's face turned thoughtful for a moment, then quickly changed to downright evil. "I like it."

_oOoOoOoOo_

After the longest flight Ben had ever had, he decided never to let Riley and Catt within six feet of each other on a trip ever again. Even once they had landed and we heading to the hotel rooms, the twosome were high-fiving and congratulating each other on a successful mission accomplished. Ben and Abigail exchanged weary glances, feeling more like parents than they wanted to.

As soon as they got their room numbers, Catt raced to the elevator, sending Riley and Abigail into a state of confusion.

"We used to have races to see who could get to the room first." Ben explained as Catt punched the up button several times, bouncing up and down as she gazed at the numbers above the door. "Apparently she never grew out of it."

"Can you blame her?" Riley watched her with a childish glint in his eyes. "That sounds like so much fun!"

"Riley, don't-" Abigail's warning was cut off as the younger man suddenly tore off towards the stars, yelling rather incoherently at Catt. She understood his message, though, and scowled, punching the button even more fervently as Riley began racing up the stairs.

"I think we're going to have to rethink room assignments." Ben said, trying to prevent his cheeks from growing red with embarrassment as the concierge handed him his room keys with a disgruntled look.

Abigail paled slightly. "Ben, I told you. It's not that I don't like Riley, but there is no way-"

"Don't worry about Riley." Ben said, heading towards the elevator farthest from the front desk. "I'll take care of Riley."

Abigail looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Just so long as you tell her the news."

_oOoOoOoOo_

"You gave me a babysitter?" Catt raised an eyebrow at her uncle after he explained the situation to her.

"Look, Catt, I know you're a grown adult now, but I just don't feel comfortable having you in the same room with Riley." Ben explained for the third time.

"It's because I'm a grown adult now." Catt realized. "I'm not a kid anymore, Ben, and you can't make my decisions for me. And just because I'm a woman now doesn't mean I'm going to behave irresponsibly."

"I know." Ben shook his head. "But I guess I'm just not ready for you to be an adult."

"Ben, he's your techie." Catt reminded him.

"Which another part of my reason." He assure her.

"Is this because we were acting immature on the airplane?" She asked, her hands finding her hips instinctively.

"You're three for three, Catt." He groaned.

"Ben, I understand." Catt reasoned. "But really. You don't have to put me in a room with Abigail. I'm at least mature enough to hold my own against a guy only a few years older than me. And anyway, she's your girlfriend. You're supposed to be in the same hotel room with her." She gave him her best innocent look. "I promise to behave myself in every way, shape, and form. That includes not doing anything risqué with your techie."

"Promise?" Ben said. She was wearing him down quicker than usual. It must have been the flight.

"Yes." Catt held out her hand. Ben took it and shook, and the deal was sealed. She held out her hand for the room key, and he handed it to her, still a bit reluctant. She accepted with a quick hug, and then calmly walked down to the hall to her room. Sliding the key card, Catt stepped in, finding Riley already sprawled out on one of the beds.

"Yeah, make yourself at home." She mumbled. He looked up, his glasses askew.

"I though we weren't allowed within six feet of each other." He said, sitting up.

"Ben's so jetlagged, he won't argue with me." Catt shrugged, choosing to keep quiet on the reason why Ben didn't want them together in the first place.

"Not that Ben argues with you much anyway." Riley mumbled, pulling his suitcase out of the way. Catt wheeled hers in, trying not to snag it on the carpet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riley pop his laptop open and open iTunes.

"And there's reason number three why I would rather room with you." Catt said, starting to unpack. "Ben does not know how to work iTunes, and would probably buy something annoying that I wouldn't like."

"I know you better." Riley said, pressing play and turning the volume up. Catt smiled, noting that it was kind of true. Ever since he joined the team, Riley had been especially close to Catt. Part of it certainly was that she was closer to his age than anyone else, but it extended beyond that. She was fairly witty, appreciated his sense of humor, and she held a bit of immaturity even as she went to college and attempted to grow up. She was fun, and fun, like normality, was getting more and more scarce the more time he spent with Ben.

"Catt, why don't we…" Riley trailed off as he looked around and didn't see her. "Catt?"

"In here!" She called from the bathroom. Riley inched forward, unsure if that meant it was safe to enter or not. "You can come in, it's safe." She responded to his silence. Nodding, he entered. She was sitting on the side of the bathtub, trying to find spots for the plethora of bottles in her lap containing various magic potions that Riley didn't try to understand.

"What is all that?" He asked against his better judgment.

"Personal hygiene, something you have a minimal understanding of." She laughed slightly. "But anyway, what were you going to say?"

"I was going to suggest we explore the city a bit." He shrugged. "You know, get out for a while. Stretch out legs after that monster of flight. Give Ben and Abigail some real alone time to make up for the torture of the flight."

Catt looked up at him, only mildly surprised that he was being thoughtful for Ben and Abigail. "Sounds good to me." She smiled. "Should we make them a dinner reservation?"

"If you're feeling that guilty." Riley shrugged again. Catt nodded, and, handing him the remaining bottles, headed towards the phone. Giving each bottle a quick glance to try and figure out what it was, he guessed at where it should go and how it was supposed to stand up. Finally, he finished, walking into the main room to see Catt rummaging through her drawers while talking on the phone. She motioned towards a notepad on the side table, and Riley handed it to her. Scribbling quickly, she nodded a few times and thanked the person on the phone, hanging up.

"I got them a table for two at 7 sharp at the little place we saw coming in." She said, writing a quick note explaining where she and Riley were going and their dinner plans.

"Oh, nice." Riley said, rummaging through his suitcase for some clean clothes. "I'm going to change."

"Aww, I claimed it first!" Catt pouted slightly, but Riley ran to the door, making sure to lock it.

Catt rolled eyes, grabbing the clothes off her bed and changing quickly. She threw the necessary items into her purse, and picked up the note to Ben and Abigail. After searching in the desk for a roll of tape, she tore off a piece and headed towards the door. She turned back to the bathroom, and knocked gently.

"I'm going to put the note on their door." She called through the inches of wood. "Meet me in the hall."

"Okay." Came the muffled reply. Rolling her eyes slightly, she opened the door and walked down the hall. A few minutes later she was joined by a freshly attired Riley.

"You know, the girl is supposed to take longer to get ready." She informed him, beginning to pull her hair into a ponytail.

"I like to break the rules." Riley responded smugly. His smile melted a little as Catt laughed at him. "Come on, punk." He said, taking her hand. "Let's get out of here."

_oOoOoOoOo_

After a few hours, and several dollars spent on the local wares, Catt and Riley were both starting to complain about hunger. Without the usual referees, though, it had turned into a competition to see who could be the whiniest.

"But Riiiiileeeeey" Catt's voice was at least three octaves higher than normal as she stretched out the vowels of her companion's name. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, fine, I quit!" Riley threw his hands in the air, shock mingling with his mock outrage. "You win. You are the most annoying person I have ever met!!"

"Told ya." Catt said, her voice now normal pitch and extremely smug. "So where are we going to go?"

"I'm not sure." Riley cast an eye around the street they were on. While there was plenty of food around, he didn't quite trust it yet. "Maybe we should go back to the hotel. I know you brought DVDs. We could get room service and have a movie night."

"But that's boring." Catt's voice was creeping higher again, and Riley cringed. "Hey, I know!" She brightened suddenly. "Let's go to the museum!"

"What?" Riley was beginning to think she had really lost her marbles. "We're going to be spending the next three days there. Nonstop. In dress clothes. Do you really want to go there on your free time?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him through the crowd. "What better time? Our passes can get us in before the exhibit even opens, and it might be the only time we can see it as normal people." She stopped suddenly, turning to face him. "And I haven't seen any of this stuff yet."

In the back of his mind, Riley realized that she was working him over good. Her chocolate eyes were wide, innocence and a hint of sorrow filling them. Her full lips were only slightly pouty, turned down just enough to convey the real sadness of not knowing what had been found. Her hand hadn't quite left his, and as he tightened his grip on her small fingers he acknowledged that she was putting up a bit of an act. But there was just enough truth in the act to make him agree.

"Fine." He sighed. "But it's just a quick trip. Then can we go back to the hotel room and chill for the rest of the night?"

"Yes." She nodded, smiling. She pulled him into a quick hug, thanking. Then, just as suddenly, she started running.

"Whoa, wait, no running!!" Riley yelled, chasing after her. "Running means you get lost, and then Ben kills me!!"

"Then keep up!" She yelled back. Riley rolled his eyes and took longer strides.

Despite having shorter legs, Catt got to the museum before Riley did. Walking to the desk, she pulled out her guest badge.

"Hello." She said nervously to the older, suited man at the desk. "I was wondering if I could get into the new exhibit."

"I'm sorry, miss, but that exhibit doesn't open for another three days." The man said in a deep, slightly accented voice.

"I understand, sir, but I think this pass is supposed to allow me early access." She said, handing him the pass.

"I see." He said, then glanced down at the laminated card. "Oh. Miss Gates." She smiled sweetly as he looked from her to the card. "You can go right in. Down the East wing and the first right."

"Thank you, sir." Catt took the pass back and followed his instructions.

A few minutes later, Riley raced into the lobby. This time, the suited man looked up in mild disgust.

"Can I help you, sir?" he asked.

"I'm looking…for Catt Gates." Riley gasped out, rummaging in his pockets for his pass. "I'm…Riley Poole." The man took the pass from him and scrutinized it. "Where did she go?"

"Down the east wing, first right." The man said, handing Riley back his badge.

"Thanks!" Riley ran the length of the hall, and took the right turn a little too sharply. He hadn't notice that Catt had stopped in the middle of the entrance hall until he ran smack into her. Both fell to the ground, Riley landing on top of Catt.

"Ow." She said softly. Riley froze, confused. While they had never been in this situation before, he knew that a soft "Ow" was not the appropriate reaction.

"Catt?" He asked, pushing himself up. He reached down and helped her up, his concern growing with as he noted the blank look on her face. "Catt, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine." She said, her gaze, now flooding with tears, stuck on one spot on the wall. "Look, Riley. He remembered."

"What?" Riley turned towards the wall Catt was staring at. There, he saw a bronze plaque placed next to the entrance of the spacious room. The raised letters sparkled as he read them, and he realized why Catt was crying.

_This Wing is donated by the Gates family_

_In memory of _

_Martha Washington Gates _

_And in honor of _

_Carrie Chapman Catt Gates_

"He remembered." Catt repeated, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"I told you he would." Riley said. Catt laughed gently, and Riley pulled her into a strong hug. She allowed him to, her arms wrapping around his torso. She cried for a few more minutes, and when he was sure she was done, Riley released her. "Ready to go back to the room and watch_ Transformers _and pig out?"

She smiled and nodded. "Definitely." She smiled, and hand and hand they headed home.


	7. The ScrewUp

**Wow, so I got so caught up in writing the BoS story that I forgot to update this. There wasn't really much room to put anything in in the time line I have going in my head, but I did manage to fit this little piece in. In case you haven't noticed, I did indeed write the BoS story, and it is posted separate, mostly to make my life easier. It's call _I Could Get Used To This_, and it's on Chapter Four now, so go catch up before it's too late!!**

**Disclaimer: I own Catt. That's it. First set of lyrics is "My Strongest Suit" from Aida, which Disney owns, I think. Second is "Take Me or Leave Me" from RENT, which is owned by...someone else.**

**WARNING: This chapter is a little more mature then the previous. More foul language and more mature themes. Nothing graphic, just mature. **

* * *

Riley Poole was quite proud of himself. It was 2:30 in the morning, and he was asleep. It was a rare occurrence, as he had always had a touch of insomnia, and subconsciously he was celebrating his achievement.

Then the phone rang.

It was his home phone, which meant it was a close friend. It also meant that they had already tried his cell phone, to no avail. Rolling over, he pulled the cordless device off the stand and hit the right button, mumbling something reminiscent of a 'hello'.

"Riley, are you up?" Catt's voice was shaking, and the poor reception told him that she was driving.

"I am now." It was true. Sleep seemed to melt away instantly, replaced with concern. Catt had a strict bedtime routine, one she didn't break willingly. For her to still be awake and driving was alarming. "What's wrong?"

"I did something stupid." She admitted. "Really stupid."

"Where are you?" Riley asked.

"Driving." He could almost see her shrug. "I don't know where. Just wherever I end up. Riley, I didn't just do something stupid. I screwed up."

"Catt, it can't be that bad." Riley reasoned, but he heard a blast of static and knew she was shaking her head.

"I screwed up." She repeated. Her voice was hollow, as if any emotion would make it break. "Riley, I slept with John."

His jaw dropped, his grip on the phone slackened. "You…what?" He asked, unsure of what he had heard.

Catt seemed to think this was an admonishment, though, and promptly burst into tears. "I know! Riley, I didn't mean to! That sounds so stupid, but it's the truth. I went over to break up with him, and then I stayed for dinner, and one thing lead to another and…it just happened. I didn't want to, but he just kept going, so I was like 'all right, let's get this over with.'"

"Catt, calm down." Riley said, sitting up. "Just take a deep breath. Don't get too worked up. It's going to be fine."

"No, Riley, it won't!" She cried. He began to grow concerned about the fact that she was still driving. "I don't even like him anymore! That was the whole point! We were breaking up!! There's no such thing as break-up sex!!"

"Catt, calm down." He repeated, sure that she was speeding by now. He had been in a car with her angry before, and he knew that it wasn't safe. "Where are you? Pull over, right now, before you get into an accident."

"Riley, will you stop worrying about the state of my car, and focus please?" Catt whined. "And I have stopped. I figured out where I was going."

"Where?" Riley asked, just as his doorbell rang.

"Guess." She said flatly. Riley jumped up and ran to his front door, opening it to reveal Catt, shivering in the chill night air.

Hanging up the phone, he let her in. She immediately collapsed on his living room couch, her head in her hands, her dark hair swinging in front of her face like a curtain on a stage. Riley followed, closing the door first. Sitting down next to her, he took one of her hands, gently running his thumb over the back. He felt cold, wet tears as she shook against him. Reaching behind her, he pulled a throw blanket around her shoulders.

Finally, she spoke again. "He wasn't even that good." Riley had to laugh. Catt even smiled, turning to look at him. "Do you think I'm a horrible person?"

"I could never think that." Riley told her, hugging her. "You're confused, that's all. You just need to figure out exactly what is going on with this guy, and then tell him." He paused, trying to remember which guy she was on. "This isn't White House Tour Guide John, is it?" She nodded. "Oh, please dump him." She laughed, but Riley continued. "He's so…uppity. He's a snob. Do you remember what he called me? Ben's assistant. Please. Ben couldn't have found that treasure without me."

"I know, Ri." Catt said. "I know. And like I said, I was going to break up with him. But he was so…charming. I mean, he had dinner ready. And dessert. And he was playing Taylor Swift." She gave Riley a significant look. "He hates Taylor Swift. He only played it because I was coming over."

"Wow." Riley couldn't help but be mildly impressed. But still… "There is a reason you were going to break up with him. What was it?"

"He's a jerk." She snapped. "He thinks that my family is crazy, that Abigail shouldn't be working such an important government position, that music is going to take me nowhere in life, and that you and I are secretly having some kind of passionate, illicit affair."

"Nice grocery list." Riley nodded. "Care to elaborate?"

"Sure, why not?" She sighed. "So he told me that Ben and Grandpa finding the treasure was a lucky shot, so to speak, and that they really are just crazies. Apparently Germans are still evil, even though World War II ended like, 60 years ago. That makes Abigail unfit to take care of really old things. Apparently the chance of my band getting signed are like, zip. He says I should just give it up and focus on my newspaper career. And there's no possible way that we can just be friends, despite the fact that you're like, my oldest friend that I never went to school with." She rolled her eyes. "He basically hates everyone that I consider family."

"I noticed." Riley nodded. "So…what are you to do?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "I can't keep a functioning relationship with him for much longer. But I can't just break up with him now. I mean, we slept together. That's huge. His brain is thinking we just made a serious step in our relationship while I'm trying to end it."

"Catt, you can't use sex as a reason to stay with him." Riley pointed out.

"I know." She said. "I know what I have to do. I'm just having problems with actually doing it."

"Well, it's too late to do anything now." Riley said, getting up. "You're staying here tonight. I'd be crazy to let you drive home."

"Yes, Uncle Ben." She rolled her eyes and smiled, indicating that he was acting just as bossy and overprotective as her uncle. "I know where the spare room is." She groaned, getting up as well. Shuffling into the door right across from Riley's, she turned back to him. "Good night. And thanks. I know I woke you up. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He said. She hugged him quickly, then disappeared into the room she had claimed as her own when he first moved in. Riley just shook his head, and hoped he could get back to sleep.

_oOoOoOoOo_

Riley woke up six hours later to smell something cooking. He panicked for a moment, thinking that burglar had broken in and helped themselves to his large, barely-used kitchen, before he remember that Catt had spent the night. Sure enough as he shuffled down to the kitchen, he heard her singing along to the iHome he had installed.

"Now I believe in looking like my time on earth is cooking  
Whether polka-dotted, striped or even checked  
With some glamour guaranteeing every fiber of my being  
Is displayed to quite remarkable effects  
From your cradle via trousseau to your death bed you're on view so  
Never compromise accept no substitute  
I would rather wear a barrel than conservative apparel  
A dress has always been my strongest suit"

She, was, in fact, wearing a dress, with a black and white polka-dot sweater over it. It was a pretty purple number, with a tight bodice and full skirt that swished every time she moved her hips. While she was dancing around the kitchen, Riley sat down, grabbing his laptop to read the paper. When she finally looked over and noticed him, she jumped a bit.

"Way to make an entrance." She said, waving a fork at him.

"You looked like you were having fun." Riley shrugged. "So, what's for breakfast this morning?"

"Pancakes." She said, motioning towards the batter bowl. "I even though of you and put peanut butter chips in them."

"There are chocolate chips in there too." Riley said, getting up and inspecting the batter.

"I didn't want to make two batches, so we're going to have to compromise." She informed him. He grinned, quite happy with her form of compromise. He helped her finish the pancakes, then they sat down at the table together and ate in a happy silence.

Catt suddenly broke that silence. "I called John this morning and broke up with him."

"Really?" Riley practically dropped his pancake at that.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I just told him that he was being a jerk to my family, and that family is more important to me than any guy ever could be."

"You actually told him that?" Riley was amazed. He never doubted that Catt was strong; he just didn't realize she was that strong.

"Yeah." She nodded, and continued eating her pancakes. Riley just stared at her for a moment, then followed suit.

As they finished the meal, Catt piped up again. "So, do we still have to go sit through some boring lecture of Ben's?"

"Yes, Catt." Riley said. "He might have to hurt us if we don't show up. But at least you can tell him that you broke up with what's-his-face."

"That will make him happy." Catt agreed. "I think Ben doesn't like him because he reminds him of that creepy Connor guy that is constantly drooling over Abigail. I tried to tell him to lay off nicely, but if I see him staring at her again I might just have to ask Sadusky for his gun."

"Yes, because I'm sure he'll just hand it over." Riley rolled his eyes.

"He might, if I look at him with cute little puppy eyes." She argued, loading the dishwasher. "Well, you better start getting ready if we're going to be at the American campus on time."

Riley nodded, knowing she was right. As he headed up the hall, he heard her turn on the iHome again and blast out more show tunes. Riley grinned and shook his head at her song of choice.

"Every single day,  
I walk down the street  
I hear people say 'baby so sweet'  
Ever since puberty  
Everybody stares at me  
Boys, girls I can't help it baby  
So be kind and don't lose your mind  
Just remember that I'm your baby

Take me for what I am  
Who I was meant to be  
And if you give a damn  
Take me baby  
Or leave me"

At least he knew she was getting over what's-his-face.


End file.
